Woman jailed for manslaughter after death of landlord

A woman has been sentenced after pleading guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and animal cruelty, following the death of her friend and landlord, as well as their pet cat.

Habiba Naveed, 34 (16.10.1989) appeared at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, 24 July where she was given a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act and a restriction order under Section 41. This means she can be detained indefinitely.

Naveed previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn of Specialist Crime, who led the investigation, said:

“Today’s sentencing concludes our investigation into the death of a man killed in his own home by a woman he lived with, trusted and considered his friend.

"Habiba Naveed has an established history of paranoid schizophrenia. The circumstances of this case highlight the dangers of the illicit use of cannabis and non-compliance with medication prescribed to manage serious mental health conditions.

“Christopher, who was Naveed’s landlord, still worked as a solicitor. He was an incredibly private and well-respected man within the community who is sorely missed by his family and loved ones. Our thoughts are with them today.”

An investigation was launched on Thursday, 15 August 2024 after the body of a man was found at a residential address on Polsted Road, SE6.

The victim, who was later identified as 72-year-old Christopher Brown, had sustained a serious head injury. A post-mortem examination found the cause of Christopher’s death to be blunt force trauma to the head, neck and chest.

Inside the address, officers also found Christopher and Habiba’s pet cat, named Snow, which had been stabbed in the neck and killed. When searching the address, officers located multiple blood stains along with a kitchen knife covered in blood.

Habiba Naveed, a woman who rented a room inside Christopher’s property, was quickly identified as a suspect and arrested later that day. Neighbours reported to police that they heard a female voice shouting from inside the property.

Naveed was charged with murder on Friday, 16 August.

The only account as to why she killed Christopher was given by her to a psychiatrist while on remand. She described believing Christopher was evil and hearing a voice telling her to kill him three times. She recounted hitting him with a pan she was holding which caused him to fall, before strangling him until she thought he was unconscious.

Christopher then asked her to stop and she describes realising her actions were wrong, but hitting him again. She believed the evil spirit had jumped out of Christopher and into Snow the cat. She got a knife and cut the cat’s neck.

On Monday, 27 January Naveed pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.